Vancouver is officially home to the nation’s first-ever crackpipe vending machines.. congrats!?
The new crackpipe vending machines were installed in the 604 roughly six months ago in downtown Eastside as an initiative to “curb the spread of disease among drug users”.
The machines, operated by Portland Hotel Society’s Drug Users Resource Centre, dispense the Pyrex crackpipes for $0.25 each. This is cheap considering every new case of HIV or hepatitis could cost taxpayers up to $250,000 in medical treatments, according to the director of the Resource Centre.
The director also explained that the crackpipes are made from good material that won’t chip and cut drug users’ mouths, which ultimately helps prevent the spread of diseases including HIV.
The strategy was initially put into place by InSite, North America’s only medically supervised safe injection site which sees anywhere between 600-900 drug users a day. (Photo: Russell Brand visits InSite in Vancouver)
The crackpipe vending machine holds 200 pipes at a time and is refilled once a week.
As a taxpayer, what are your thoughts on the vending machines?